Armenia key destination for Russian emigrants from Omsk

Armenia appears to be the most preferred destination for many emigrants from the Russian region of Omsk.

Out of the 63,935 residents who permanently left the region in 2017, 323 settled in Armenia. Other countries of choice included Kazakhstan (4.721 emigrants) and Ukraine (4.721 emigrants), Newsomsk.ru reports, citing the Federal State Statistics Service.

The desire to find higher-paid jobs, get better career opportunities and obtain university degrees is reported to be the key motivating factor for many.

The outgoing migration appears really troublesome rather than surprising for local government officials, Marina Khamova, a representative of the regional Ministry of Labor and Regional Development, said, adding that most of the emigrants were individuals of employable age.

The latest statistics revealed an increase emigrants' number by 66% to 9,853 against the 5,042 in 2016. The region had a total of 54.082 registered immigrants as of 2017.